I didn't read the comments on Huff Po or F&F. I didn't think I could stomach what I am sure were some vitriolic gems from people safe behind the soft "anonymous" glow of their computer screens.

But I did read the post. Because I know Lisa from my former place of employment, where she sits on the Board of Trustees. I know her as brilliant and accomplished (three books! three sons!). She was also a warm, genuine person, easy to work with. Everyone on our management team thought she was great.

Which is why I was surprised when I detected a harsh note of self-criticism in her post. She writes, in her ninth reason for regret:

But far and away my biggest regret about my years at home was that I lowered my sights for myself as I dimmed in my own mind what I thought I was capable of.

Deb is a freelance writer and mom. She lives in New York with her husband, toddler son and a sweet but neurotic corgi. She blogs regularly at Urban Moo Cow, a place for thoughtful analysis of modern parenting ~ with a side of humor.

Friday, June 21, 2013

This morning I took Henry and Hudson* the crazy corgi to Fort Greene Park during off-leash hours. That's before 9 am for those of you not up on New York City's dog-park rules. Or just not up at that time, period.

Rayne is traveling for "business" this week. I put business in quotation marks because he is technically away for work, but he also gets to go out to dinner and drinks with people and sleep wholly undisturbed in a king-sized bed all to himself.

Meanwhile, I'm up at 5:55 am with Henry needing -- absolutely needing with every fiber of his being -- for me to read him The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Immediately. If I don't read it to him, he will spontaneously combust. That's a fact.

Deb is a freelance writer and mom. She lives in New York with her husband, toddler son and a sweet but neurotic corgi. She blogs regularly at Urban Moo Cow, a place for thoughtful analysis of modern parenting ~ with a side of humor.

Monday, June 17, 2013

A good friend of mine gave me the book The Emotional Life of the Toddler by Alicia F. Lieberman, Ph.D. when I got pregnant. I trust her judgment, so I started reading it several months ago.

I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of parenting books. I find them contrived and contradictory at best. This book, written in 1993, explains the basis for attachment parenting. While it is interesting and sometimes helpful in explaining tantrums and such, the level of psychobabble is slightly too high for me.

For example, this gem on page 27:

It is generally accepted that girls wish they had a penis and express this wish in many overt and covert ways.

Deb is a freelance writer and mom. She lives in New York with her husband, toddler son and a sweet but neurotic corgi. She blogs regularly at Urban Moo Cow, a place for thoughtful analysis of modern parenting ~ with a side of humor.

Deb is a freelance writer and mom. She lives in New York with her husband, toddler son and a sweet but neurotic corgi. She blogs regularly at Urban Moo Cow, a place for thoughtful analysis of modern parenting ~ with a side of humor.

Monday, June 10, 2013

I decided to start the blog approximately two days before launching it. (Once I make up my mind....) Not six weeks later, I stumbled, green and clueless, into the BlogHer '12 conference in Times Square.

"Hi!" I chirped with a big goofy smile. "I'm a blogger!"

No, I was not. I did not have the first clue.

Thankfully, Liza Hippler, who is developing a cool new way to organize your blog life called Bloganizer, took pity on me and directed me to the SITS Girls website to learn a little bit about what I was getting myself into.

A year later, I have learned a lot. My husband even conceded that I wear the "interwebs social media" crown in our family. That's a big concession from a computer nerd. (He quickly clarified that he is still family king of the entire interwebs; he's just giving me the social media sliver. Thanks, honey.)

Deb is a freelance writer and mom. She lives in New York with her husband, toddler son and a sweet but neurotic corgi. She blogs regularly at Urban Moo Cow, a place for thoughtful analysis of modern parenting ~ with a side of humor.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Today I am over at Kristi's Finding Ninee with a guest post for her Our Land series. The series started with Kristi's poignant and beautiful post called The Land of Empathy and Wonder, in which she describes the world she wishes existed for her maybe-on-the-spectrum-maybe-not young son.

The only thing important in my imagined land is a person’s heart. And his empathy. And his ability to find wonder. To find joy in blowing bubbles on a breezy spring day rather than worrying about a job, a disease, a bill, a blog…

Deb is a freelance writer and mom. She lives in New York with her husband, toddler son and a sweet but neurotic corgi. She blogs regularly at Urban Moo Cow, a place for thoughtful analysis of modern parenting ~ with a side of humor.

Monday, June 3, 2013

I've written before how much Henry covets my phone. The buttons, the flashy lights, the fact that it often has my rapt attention... what's not to love?

I catch him with it sometimes, "talking." He holds it up to his ear and says "Aah?" in a distinctive tone that I know means "Hello?" Then he talks for a few minutes, pausing and laughing as if having a real conversation.

Deb is a freelance writer and mom. She lives in New York with her husband, toddler son and a sweet but neurotic corgi. She blogs regularly at Urban Moo Cow, a place for thoughtful analysis of modern parenting ~ with a side of humor.

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About Me

I’m Deb. I live in New York with my husband and our son, daughter and neurotic corgi. Once, in the sleepless days of my son's first weeks, I caught my husband beaming at us nursing. You are a very good Moo Cow, he said, kissing me on the head. A nickname was thus born. Urban Moo Cow offers thoughtful analysis of modern parenting ~ with a side of humor. Thanks for stopping by! (Photo credit: Sarah Brooks)